Moorhead, MN | Mother’s Records needs $5,000 to stay in business: Moorhead record shop Mother’s Records says that if they can’t raise $5,000 in the next two weeks, they will be forced to close. Mother’s has been in business for 54 years and is the second oldest record store in the region. In a Facebook post the owner says that the business has been struggling since COVID, and has been unable to turn a consistent profit in 3 years. They say that they have kept running the store because it’s their father’s legacy. They are asking for the public’s help through donations, and spreading the word to help the store.
Ontario, CA | Be a part of a retro revival: …Will McGuirk has managed Kops Records in Oshawa for the past five years. Originally from Ireland, McGuirk is also a music writer and has seen the industry change thanks to such artists as Taylor Swift, who has embraced the idea of limited-edition records as well as playing with the physical medium so that each record becomes a collectible. “I think the artfulness of the whole experience is appealing to a much younger generation who like the connection they make to the artist and want to collect everything they put out,” McGuirk says. “What I’ve noticed is that more customers are buying new classics and records. Kids who don’t have a record player come in here; they love the idea of having a library of records.”
Sustainability drive is putting a fresh spin on vinyl production: A new survey has revealed that two thirds of music lovers would buy more vinyl records if they were made more sustainably. The Key Production study comes after Billie Eilish hit the headlines after slamming the the “wasteful” practice of artists releasing a multitude of vinyl packages in an interview with Billboard – and it seems greener vinyl options are something people want to see more of. The survey was carried out between February and March this year, with 503 people taking part and found that 69% of responders would purchase more records if they were manufactured with a reduced environmental impact. In addition, 77% reported they’d pay more for sustainably produced vinyl and that although there has been an emphasis on heavyweight 180g vinyl products in recent years, 83% didn’t perceive heavier records being a more valuable prospect.
Hit Me Hard And Soft: What makes Billie Eilish’s records ‘eco-friendly’? Each year, the UK’s vinyl habit is estimated to produce the same amount of emissions as 400 people. But Billie Eilish is hoping to change the record with her new album Hit Me Hard and Soft, which came out on Friday. Albums will be pressed on to recycled or eco-vinyl and the packaging will also be made from recycled materials. There’s scepticism about how much difference that can really make when it’s linked to a huge world tour. But Billie is keen not to be the Bad Guy, and has also been praised for drawing attention to sustainability in the music industry. …”My parents have always kept me well informed and hyper-aware that every choice we make and every action we take has an impact somewhere or on someone, good or bad, and that has always stuck with me,” she said.
Auckland, NZ | New record bar nami opens in Auckland: Located in Ponsonby, the venue launched at the end of last month. A new record bar has opened in Auckland. A new addition to Ponsonby, nami is an all-vinyl record bar from the team behind Auckland staples OCKHEE and Swings. It takes over the space from Conch Kitchen & Bar, which closed on March 28th after 26 years. Open 4 PM til late from Thursday through Sunday, nami record bar will host parties, exclusive events and pop-ups, in addition to operating as a listening bar. The main room features a KV2 Audio sound system with vintage JBL L112 speakers powered by a Sansui G-5700 amp, while vintage JBL L40 speakers occupy the shopfront. Frank Booker and Samuel Harmony, founders of nascent party Music First, will curate the bar’s in-house programme, with a focus on both local and international DJ talent. A fundraising initiative has been launched, with proceeds from limited-edition merchandise being directly reinvested into the space.
Calgary, CA | Calgary’s HiFi Cabinet Co. Launches Unique Vinyl Record Storage Crate Line: It’s not your daddy’s milk crate. For the records that move you. As the vinyl lovers at HiFi Cabinet Company know, it’s been decades since we’ve been able to find or use our fast fingers to remove the old milk or pop crate from the back of the store, and, to remedy that, the company has unveiled a new line of uniquely stylish record storage crates. The Calgary-based company, whose mission is to restore and preserve the love of vinyl, released four colours of storage crates along with accompanying accessories like wheels and stacking pins for portability, so now you can roll them out or stack them high. As vintage items and clothing circle back around in the cycle of mainstream popularity, HiFi’s Creative Director Tony Smith said that the crates were designed with the growing population of vinyl collectors in mind.
Boston, MA | Remembering the Schwann Catalog: There’s a lot of information online about the history of the monthly Schwann Catalog, which started out as a listing of classical records. We now refer to “vinyl” when we’re talking about LPs, but shellac was the medium in 1949 at the catalog’s debut. “By April 1973, the catalog numbered a robust (one might even say obese) 256 pages, listing a staggering 45,000 currently available disks by 814 labels, plus 8‐track tape cartridges and cassettes made by nearly 300 companies.” He had sold it but continued to edit it until 1985. It operated into the late 90’s when the internet and record companies’ own websites rendered it obsolete. William Joseph Schwann owned The Record Shop in Cambridge MA 1939-53; but in the 1950s I bought records so often from the nearby Briggs & Briggs in Harvard Square that they sometimes would give me a free expired copy of the catalog.
The Employees of “Empire Records” Ranked By How Likely They Are Still Working Retail: “Damn the man! Save the Empire!” These were the rallying cries of every spirited “teen” working at the fictional store in the film “Empire Records.” They all had such big dreams for their future. But truly, how many of these eclectic employees of the Tower Records-esque store are still toiling away in some form of retail? Join us as we revisit the quirky crew of “Empire Records” and rank their likelihood of still punching the clock at the register.
Freeland, WA | New beginning for Freeland bookstore: Mutiny Bay Books is a novelty among the collection of banks, thrift stores, wineries and restaurants of Freeland’s commercial district. South Whidbey resident Bob Markey fulfilled his longtime dream of opening a bookstore just last week in Suite 101 of the shopping center located at 1638 E. Main Street. “I’ve always found the presence of books in a room calming,” he said. “Being in a bookstore, I can read just about anything I want.” The cozy, one-room shop boasts around 1,500 titles, from “The Chronicles of Narnia” to biographies about former President Bill Clinton and Rolling Stones member Keith Richards to “Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies.” Markey purchased 10,000 used books from a man who was dedicated to keeping books from going into the landfill. Because of this vast amount, he’s not currently taking donations for his shelves.
